Make New Friends (Grades K-2)
Lesson Title: Make New Friends
Objective: To learn how to make new friends
Grade: K/2 Time: 25-30 minutes

Materials: ‘Will I Have Friend?’ book (a copy is at 1930 Como), Puppets (optional)

1. Review some of the fun things to do at school.

2. Ask students to raise their hand if they have ever made a new friend.

3. Ask the students: What could you say to make a new friend?

4. Do a puppet play on making a new friend.

5. Tell the class you are going to read ‘Will I Have a Friend’? Tell the class that this is about a boy named Jim’s first day at school and he wants to make a friend. Explain that Jim is scared at the beginning of the story. Ask the class: Why do you think Jim is scared? Do you think Jim will make a friend?

6. Read the Story. (Note: You may want to skip pages or paragraphs in the book because some classes can’t sit through a whole book. Also, you will need to change some lines of the book if you are reading it to a first or second grade class.)

7. Ask the class: 1) How was Jim feeling at the beginning of the story? 2) What did Paul have in his hand? 3) What did Anna-Marie ask Jim and Paul to do? (She asked them to play blocks.) What is something you could ask a new friend to play with you?

8. Have the students get in groups of two and pretend like they want their partner to be a new friend. Have them practice making a new friend
OR
Have the students do a puppet play about asking a new friend to play with them
9. Tell the class that they will make many new friends. You need to be brave and ask new friends to play with you.

10. Review how to make new friends.